Sins of the Fathers
by WonderfulNonsenseofBritt
Summary: In an oppressed society, governed by three tyrannical leaders called The Three, a young man seeks to rid the world of the state it is in, by reawakening a dead revolution that his father had pioneered years ago. Spurred by the death of his grandmother, Karkat and his companions embark into space, in search of the pirate queen, who could bring justice to the sick world. (FM/FF/MM)
1. Chapter 1: Crash and Burn

He ran. He ran till his chest burned and his legs felt like they were no longer making contact with the ground beneath him. He ran till the world was a multi-coloured blur rushing past him, like a one-year-old's finger painting. He ran till all he could hear was the wind roaring in his ears, the sound of his quickened breath, his pounding heart. He ran until he felt like he was flying.

He soared over fences, under clothes lines, weaved in and out of people. A vague dark blur rushing past civilisation, as though unaffected by it. He couldn't hear the confused mutterings, the surprised shouts, the "get back here you little deviant" calls. He was an unstoppable force, rushing through and beyond all obstacles. Nothing else mattered, except for the bundle in his arms.

He could still envision what happened shortly before he bolted. He could still see the market, the mustard-blooded, large man and the brown-blooded, small woman standing behind the counter, plunging the manifestations of their endlessly hard work into big, loud, brown paper bags. He could still see himself selecting various things. He had no idea what to look for in an apple, a potato, a leek. He didn't know what was ripe and what wasn't. He could hardly distinguish a cabbage from a head of lettuce. But his family needed to eat and if the vegetables the hard-working farmers were depositing into this bag was the only thing that could sustain them any longer, then he wouldn't hesitate to take them.

He could still remember the feeling of the warm coins in his hand, deep in the depths of his pocket. They had been there a long while, collecting. Each coin he found on the ground, each small offering a stranger placed in his hand, or dropped at his feet, each time he managed to slip a few from a wealthy man's pocket, had accumulated into the small amount he had on him. He didn't intend on getting much, just enough to last them the rest of the week. After that, he would begin accumulating coins once more.

However, after the vegetables were in place within the bag and the small woman announced a price, his heart sank. It was substantially more than he had in his pocket. It was more than his entire family had, most likely. Resources were so expensive nowadays, that it was difficult to even purchase a few vegetables to make a soup that could feed a small family for a week. The small woman detected his expression, and frowned, clearly noticing his inadequacies. She leaned in and shot a glance to her husband, before whispering a smaller price. This price was still nowhere near the funds he had on him. But he didn't make this as noticeable. Instead, he perked up, pretending to be relieved, and agreed that that would be acceptable. He then reached into his pocket at the same time as he reached for the brown, paper bag. Once he could feel the weight of the bag in his arms, he took a deep breath…

And he ran.

He could still hear the small woman and the large man shouting at him as he bolted away. He couldn't help but smirk to himself as he cleared another fence, clutching tightly to the bag of vegetables.

He had never done this kind of thing before. Truth be told, he never thought he would have to. But when the war broke out and the oppression of the Lowbloods by the Highbloods happened, so much so that he had to hide his blood colour from the general public in order to survive, and his father rose up to be the saviour of their kind, and was inevitably defeated, his entire family was tossed into chaos. He was lucky his grandmother managed to escape the clutches of the Highbloods to raise his brother and sisters, along with himself. His younger sister and he were the ones who made the best of the situation, assisting his grandmother in their raising, trying to gain as much money as possible to help the household, cleaning, washing, cooking, surviving. His older sister was rarely home but he knew she struggled with existing in a life she had never wanted, and attempted to flee from it – she survived in her own way. His eldest brother, on the other hand, was cruel, overly sensitive, cold, and spoke endlessly, without rest, for hours, about nothing particularly interesting, or relevant. Nevertheless, he loved his family, and he would do what it took to ensure their happiness, or at least their continued existence.

Once his home come into view, he felt his heart slow, his breath ease, his legs calm. It wasn't a large house by any means, but it certainly wasn't a shack. It was inherited from his grandmother's family, being jade-bloods, they were born into a respectable amount of money. Unfortunately, when his grandmother was captured and tortured, she was stripped of her titles as a jade-blood, her wealth taken from her, her statuses in society diminished from a respected, upper-class lady, to merely "the woman who raised The Sufferer". Frankly, she was lucky to have kept her life, let alone her family home.

The moment he walked into the door, he smelt mould, dust, and vinegar. Cleaning supplies were difficult to come by, and his grandmother often managed to convince some of the chip stands in summer to give her some of their old vinegar, rather than disposing of it. She would mix it with water, which she had to pump, and cleaned with it. It rendered the home with a rather unpleasant scent, but it was just that – home.

"Karkat? Is that you?" he heard his grandmother from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I just got in."

He brought the bag into the kitchen, and reluctantly placed it on the table. Letting go of the thing he had sacrificed much to obtain was rather difficult, but he knew he had brought it to the right place, and hopefully done the right thing.

"Karkat!" his grandmother breathed, peering into the depths of the bag. "Where did you get all this? How could you afford it?"

"I had saved up enough," he lied. "The woman at the stand seemed convinced enough by my meek physique to charge me less than normal price for these things. Can you do anything with them?"

"Well, yes," she hesitated for a moment, before pulling things out and observing them. He was worried they would be insufficient, but he supposed it was better than the old, half-rotten vegetables they managed to weasel out of various merchants in the past. "These are lovely apples."

He felt a sense of pride within himself for having pleased the woman who raised him. She had done so much for him, his brother, and especially his father.

She wasn't biologically related to Karkat, or his brother, Kankri. She had essentially foster-housed and raised Karkat's father, once known as The Signless and, eventually, The Sufferer. Once she escaped, she found Karkat and Kankri, mere grubs at the time, and adopted them as well. She knew, by the blood colour (a hidden affair, even then), and the small, rounded horns, that they were both the spawn of The Sufferer. At the time, she also had Porrim, who was a bit younger than Kankri, and Kanaya, you was just older than Karkat. They all hit it off immediately, and were easily raised together, despite their usual sibling rivalries. Karkat wasn't sure how The Dolorosa, his grandmother, managed to ensure their survival, when regarding it retrospectively.

There lived three tyrannical rulers. Her Imperious Condescension was the queen bee of the entire planet. She ruled with a golden trident (or a 2x3dent as she called it) and a cruel and greedy outlook. Formerly a queen of the seas, this tyrian-blooded bitch cared only for her own gain and not for the shortcomings of others that may result in this gain. It was easy for her to gain control, due to her seemingly unending lifespan and inability to age. She worked alongside a vast and powerful Lusus, sentient beasts capable of reason and knowledge beyond that of trolls, who had lent its power to ensure her rise in control. But she was hardly the worst of their problems, as she enjoyed sitting at the top of her hill, watching the little ants play below. No, there were more up-close and personal leaders that the common people were educated to fear.

The seas were governed by Orphaner Dualscar. He attempted to have The Dolorosa killed, but before his plot could unfold, she managed to escape and flee back to the city, which was where her family home was situated. The kismesissitude between Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, the pirate queen, and Dualscar was ended when he, too, put a bounty on her head. There was talk about an unrequited love between The Condesce and Dualscar, though it was never confirmed (but as far as Karkat was concerned, they were most likely made for each other). Dualscar, despite being the leader of the seas and therefore the seadwelling trolls, was a murderer (hence his name), but even his wrath was no match for the utter mindless tyranny of the land leader.

The Grand Highblood was a psychotic, murderous, bloodthirsty beast whose lust for death and subjugation ruled over all the land. It is said he does not have a companion in the world, and instead has followers; anyone who attempts to get close to him, is ultimately killed, and their blood added to the impressive mural upon the walls of his throne room. He watches over the common people, the slums, even the higher bloods on land, and any oddity he spots, he eliminates without question. There was talk about him sending his cultist followers, individuals who worked as both servants and enforces of his rule, the subjugglators, into the slums and streets in search of trolls to bring to him for purposes unknown – though none taken were seen or heard from again. He worked under control of The Condesce, like Dualscar, though his unpredictable nature and thirst for blood made him extremely dangerous. It was he who The Sufferer had revolted against. Though the strength and power of the three leaders, especially The Grand Highblood, easily defeated and ended the attempted revolution, resulting in the deaths or enslavements of many strong men and women.

There were many strong trolls which blindly followed the wrath of these killers. Some follow, but are not so blind. Neophyte Redglare was a loyal follower of The Grand Highblood's, though is said to secretly wear the sign of The Sufferer as a symbol for her belief in justice and support of the underground movement still existing despite The Sufferer's defeat. Executor Darkleer was a follower of The Grand Highblood's before being unable to slay The Sufferer's most loyal companion, The Disciple, and was banished, becoming Expatriate. And when it came to Mindfang, she was a pirate queen and could not be caught. Only once was she ever captured, but she escaped too easily. It's a mystery where she was now, but one couldn't help but admire her. The Dolorosa spoke of her fondly, suggesting that perhaps the two had a history, though it was very rare if The Dolorosa ever spoke of her past.

On the other side of the spectrum, many who had revolted against the Highblood leaders were dead, or enslaved. One of the greatest players in the revolution, who fought alongside The Sufferer, was The Psionic. He was perhaps suffering the worst outcome, and his sole purpose was to become The Helmsman, moving forth, and becoming a literal part of, The Condesce's ship, using his remarkably powerful telekinetic abilities, completely out of his control to do so – consistent, endless torture.

The Summoner, another huge player in the revolution, took command of an army of creatures, called Cavalreapers. He had even grown wings, which assisted him in rising up other trolls to fight in the revolution. His rise and defeat was not a long story, but he was not killed. Instead, he was banished off the planet, into space, where it was said he was in search of Mindfang, who piloted the wilds of outer space.

The Disciple was a loyal companion of The Sufferer's, and also said to have been his lover. Not much is known of her, other than her unending and undying love for The Sufferer, and need to spread his word and prophecies. Executor Darkleer could not bring himself to kill her, and it was said that it was due to an unrequited love that existed between them. It is unknown whether or not she was killed. Word had gone around that she had been spotted in caves, hiding out. Oddly enough, strange bloody scrawls were left on the caves in which she had been said to reside, and could be deciphered into teachings… perhaps those of The Sufferer.

These things and more, Karkat had learned by himself. The Dolorosa spoke little about political affairs and scandals, mostly because she had been such a huge part of it, and now was attempting to fade into the shadows to live out the remainder of her life taking care of his siblings. From newspapers and gossip, had the young troll learned about the past of his people and the current situations. The Dolorosa had taught Karkat and his siblings the ways of the tyrannical leaders, who they were, and why they were to be feared and not respected. It was clear that she didn't want her family undergoing the same torment The Sufferer had, because he loathed the rule of the Three and vowed to bring it down. In her eyes, Karkat, Kanaya, Porrim, and Kankri would be better off residing in the shadows, away from the watchful eyes of the leaders' spies.

"I'm gonna head over to Sol's" Karkat announced as he slung his bag over his shoulder a few hours later. He had completed all of his chores and done what was asked of him by his caregiver. Kanaya was in her bedroom, doing what she usually did by herself, while Kankri and Porrim were both long gone, doing their own things with their own friends. It was time, Karkat thought, to do the same.

"Karkat, wait," Dolorosa stopped him as he placed his hand on the cool brass of the doorknob. He frowned and faced her, curiously. "There's something I want to show you first."

She then produced something from the folds of her black-and-jade skirts. It was a rather large key, cast iron, and intricate. He had seen this key many times, and the hole in which the key entered. The cellar door always remained locked, and Karkat had never bothered questioning this. It simply was a thing that was, since long before his childhood. He had never seen the door open, and only once had he ever recognized activity occurring within it. Once, in his youth, when he couldn't sleep, he dared to descend from his bedroom upstairs, down the long hallway parallel to the kitchen, where the old, lead paint-chipped door was still firmly shut. He hadn't seen his grandmother slumbering away the night in her bedroom, as was usually the case, and he dared not open the door. However, light shone out from the cracks in the door, though no sound paired with it. He had then gone into Kanaya's room, and they chatted the night away about what could have been in there.

And he walked, with The Dolorosa, down the long hallway that ran parallel to the kitchen, towards the chipped-painted door, where he watched the key plunge into hole. She then twisted it, and it made an audible click. The door moaned as she opened it, pulling back the wooden slab to reveal the darkness within. With a click of a light, the stairs were illuminated, but everything beyond them was hidden. She descended the steps first, and beckoned for Karkat to follow her, which he did.

The cellar was low-ceilinged but large, with doorways that extended into other areas, and vents and pipes which lined the ceilings above. It was kept fairly clean, no low-hanging cobwebs or thick layers of dust. There was a shelving unit on the far wall, on which there sat candles, evidence of their burning clear by the sobbing wax, tears hardened to its surface. The Dolorosa was the first to reach the shelves, and she opened a drawer, which growled huskily as wood scraped against wood. The drawer was empty, safe for paper clips, matches, old receipts, pins and buttons, and other miscellaneous items one would expect to find in a drawer in the basement. However, she touched nothing in the drawer, as her long, pale fingers reached underneath the counter above the drawer. Whatever action she performed, it was lost to Karkat's eyes, but a sound could be heard behind the pair.

Karkat spun around, and his curiosity was not yet sated, as nothing in the room seemed to change. The Dolorosa led him to a cement wall, which was completely seamless, until she pushed herself against it, bumping it slightly with her hip, and a large rectangular chunk of the wall became a recess, until The Dolorosa pushed it away, leaving another, hidden room. Inside, Karkat's breath was taken from him as he stared, in awe, at the small room.

In one corner, stood a glass case, in which the notorious uniform that The Sufferer had worn hung. It was clearly kept well cleaned and maintained. Beside it was a wall unit, on which sat several books, and journals, and small box with a keyhole. There were several scattered papers about the room, and other boxes, none of which had the chance to collect any dust.

"This room is all that is left to remind me of my past," The Dolorosa told him as he explored the room, touching nothing. "These journals and papers are all works of your father. I wasn't allowed to save much, but whatever I could, I locked up in here, so if anyone was to happen to find me hidden away in this house, I have hopes that they would be unsuccessful in taking the things in this room from me.

"I would love for you to read these journals someday. But I worry for you, Karkat." He turned to face her, his eyebrows furrowed, watching her as she continued. "Your brother may be older, but he does not have the same leadership skills and ambition as you. You are… certainly your father's son. That is why I've brought you here. So you know that all of this exists and if there ever comes a time for you to access this room, it is because you understand why it was necessary for me to keep it all. You must learn from the past, Karkat. You must see what your father had gone through, read his thoughts and understand that despite his intentions being as altruistic and sacrificial as they were, they were for naught, and all his efforts were lost, though none in vain. Do you understand?"

He looked to her for a long moment, and for the first time since he had known her, she seemed… old. Her eyes were heavy and bagged, and the creases on her gentle face were deep. Her face was a map, trails and lines and even scars speaking volumes of her past, and leading to nothing but hope and love. Her thin, pursed lips spread into a genuine smile as she watched him, and he had to turn away, because he felt that the smile wasn't meant for him. Her eyes sparkled and reflected the case behind him, where his father stood, bodiless, but there.

"I don't know anything about him," he touched one of the journals, bound in leather which looked as though it had seen water. "I hardly know anything about you. But you insist that I must know the past and not repeat it…" he looked to her again. "Why now?"

The Dolorosa backed to a small chair in the corner opposite the display case. She sighed heavily, and looked to a box, which was marked "photos".

"I was young, once," she said. "It seems so long ago. Like perhaps maybe it never existed. But my memories thrive… I remember I was hopelessly in love with someone whose heart had little room for affection. I went to her when your father became hellbent on revolution. She was difficult to find… I didn't even know if she was still alive, but a part of me that remained with her, led me to her. And she was so powerful… She could have easily ended the war for the suffering side, but her lust for treasure and exploration kept her back turned to this world. And when I went to her for help, or guidance, she could not turn me away because of what we were to each other, but she refused to help. She kept me safe with her for years, before I allowed myself to return to this world. And when I returned, the war was already well underway. I stood with The Disciple, The Summoner, The Psionic, with your father. I helped them prepare. I prepared them to die…"

"Not all are dead."

"The Disciple is long gone, The Summoner was banished and there's no chance of his surviving the wilds of space, let alone finding Mindfang. The Psionic is suffering a fate worse than death… And The Sufferer-" her voice shook with the last words, and she stopped for a moment. When she continued, her voice was grave. "I have heard talk of revolution again, Karkat. Whispers of an uprising, of the underground movement. I fear the way things are is coming to an end, and is falling back to the way things were. If all is lost… You need to know what The Sufferer knew, paired with what The Sufferer did not know – what you know now. And if the dawn does rise, and light shines upon the end of these simple days, you need to understand that there is only one place you can turn when you are backed into a corner."

It wasn't long afterwards that The Dolorosa's prophecies seemed to be more than the ramblings of a heartsick old woman. House raids didn't often happen, but occasionally, the Grand Highbood would send forth his Special Forces unit, the subjugglators, into the lower-income areas. It had been a while, too, since posters displaying Karkat's beloved grandmother's visage had been hung upon posts and walls within the cities and residential districts. But suddenly, both those things paired and became far more frequent. Karkat began to see a younger depiction of The Dolorosa's pained expression plastered upon the walls, with the labels "DANGEROUS" and "EXTREMELY WANTED" hovering about her image. He and his friends had begun discussing rumours about frequent house raids of families from lower-hemospectrum bloodlines. His best cover has been the "high-class" appearance of his home, which kept the subjugglators out of the area, and also its distance from the ghetto. But Karkat supposed it was only a matter of time before they came a-knocking.

It didn't happen in the dead of night, under the cloak of darkness, away from prying eyes. No, it happened in the middle of the day, while Karkat, Kanaya, Kankri, and Porrim lounged about in the home, The Dolorosa lost in a book in the sun room. The door had been kicked in, and the black-robed, masked figures poured into the home like black liquid, filling it and destroying it, knocking over tables, pushing things off shelves, aimlessly demolishing everything that had taken so long to rebuild. Kanaya and Kankri had been trapped upstairs, while Porrim was in the kitchen, and Karkat in the living room. Kankri and Kanaya had been quick to flee the upstairs, and slithered through the reaching grips of the subjugglators. The farthest room from the front, where they tore everything apart searching, was the sun room, and everyone crept towards it, keeping hidden. Kankri was panicking, and Porrim worked to keep him still, calm, and, especially, quiet, though it did little good. Kanaya was standing closest to the door, constantly glancing and informing the rest of how close the subjugglators were to the family.

"There's a loose window in the cellar which leads outside," The Dolorosa said, quickly, her shaking hands fumbling with the key as she thrust it into Karkat's grasp. "Get to there."

With a nod and a brisk "let's go", Karkat led the family slowly and carefully through the home. The subjugglators weren't trained in infiltration, so they hardly knew how to properly investigate or even pillage a home. They had divided into two groups, it seemed. The larger had embarked upstairs, and the smaller was currently into the kitchen. The five crept quietly, and achingly slowly down the hallway which ran parallel to the kitchen, towards the chipped-paint door.

They had made it to the doorway to the kitchen, where they could hear the muffled voices and laughing and destruction happening within. Karkat sent Kanaya first to pass the doorway, as she was the tallest, but most agile. She easily bounded, like a deer, to the other side of the doorway, where she outstretched her arms for The Dolorosa, who quickly dashed, with ballerina grace, to her side. Next, was Karkat, who skidded across and outstretched his arms for Kankri to come running. Kankri's heart was pounding heavily in his chest, and he stared at the doorway as though it was threatening to swallow him piece by piece. Porrim rubbed his shoulders and eased him slightly, telling him that everything would be alright once he passed the doorway. It took him a while before he finally gained the courage to hold his breath, close his eyes, and run across. Though because of his fears, his eyes flashed open and he glimpsed into the kitchen, where he saw the dark figures tearing apart his home. His legs then stopped working in mid-sprint, and he fell, hard and loud, onto the floor at the threshold of the door. Porrim practically scooped him up and brought him to the other side of the door, but it was too late.

The subjugglators came pouring out of the kitchen like someone had uncorked champagne. Thankfully, Karkat already had the key in the door, and was holding it open. Kanaya, and Porrim, who was still tightly clutching a very still and very quiet Kankri, ran into the cellar. Just as Karkat turned to insist on his grandmother going after them, he heard the sound of the subjugglators stomping down the stairs, drawing nearer.

"Go, quickly!" Karkat began to shout, but he received no reply. Instead, he saw a small, slow trickle of thick, jade liquid fall from the corner of The Dolorosa's mouth, and trickle down her fair skin. His eyes followed the drop, and fell upon a sharp, jade-stained blade pointing accusingly at him from through the woman he had learned to consider a grandmother.

"Find her," she said to Karkat, her voice feeble and quivering, her lips stained in jade blood. "Find Mindfang,"

She smiled then, and he could almost see relief in her eyes. "You are so much like him…"

And as quickly as she was in his life, the woman crumpled to the floor, like she had suddenly become a simple pile of clothes, never having raised him, held him when he was afraid, nursed him when he was ill, made him laugh when he ached, and kept him alive and healthy and happy for his existence. She was but a cadaver, now. An empty shell of a loving guardian.

Reflexes kicked in, and he was flying down the stairs, having locked the door behind him, when he finally realised that he was moving. His family was huddled, small and quiet and terrified, at the bottom of the stairs, while the subjugglators pounding incessantly above. He said nothing as he dashed to the shelving unit, yanked upon the drawer, and felt along the bottom of the counter above the drawer. There was a small switch, which he pulled, and listened for the click, which came, behind him. He then threw himself against the door, shoving it open, and running inside. Kanaya was quickly at his side, stopping at the entrance to the room, muttering an almost inaudible "holy shit".

"Help me," Karkat demanded, though his voice wasn't as strong as his words. He had grabbed a box of knick-knacks and old toys, dumped it out, and had begun filling it with journals and papers that were stacked upon the shelves.

"Tell me what to do," Kanaya insisted.

Karkat pointed at the case where his father's uniform was, before tossing her a box of matches that he had found in the drawer in the shelving unit. "Burn it."

"Why?"

"If the subjuggulators find out who we are and our history, we'll be hunted harder than the pirate queen." Karkat insisted before looking to her. "Please."

Kanaya hesitated for only a moment longer, before yanking open the case, lighting a match on the side of the box, dropping it back into the box of matches, and tossing it into the case. The entire box immediately ignited, and it didn't take long before the uniform was being lapped at by the flames. They watched as the fire crawled up the material, consuming all it touched. The man who wore that… All he did and stood for… Karkat clutched the box of journals tightly to him. He was his legacy, he knew that now. His thoughts were silenced when there came a single, loud bang at the door, suggesting they had retrieved something larger to break it down.

"Fuck," Karkat hissed. "We have to go. Grab that!" he pointed to the box with the keyhole, which Kanaya lunged for and held tightly onto. It was a small, wooden chest, but it was tightly sealed and heavy, suggesting that perhaps it was lined with something harder than wood. They then quickly left the room, and embarked to the loose window, which Kanaya pushed out. Karkat and Kanaya helped their sister and brother through the window, before stopping to look at each other for only a moment. Behind them the fire discovered the taste of wood of the old house, and began lapping at that as well, quickly setting fire to the home. Kanaya went to exit the window, but stopped and turned to look at him.

"Dolorosa," she merely said, to which Karkat replied with a solemn shaking of his head. Kanaya swallowed once and nodded back, before exiting the window. Karkat glanced once more into the home, sighing heavily, then looking to the box in his hands, and nodded, leaving his home through the window of the cellar.

The family went into hiding in the forest near the house. They held each other as they watched their home burn, until merely the skeleton remained, blackened and dead. The subjuggulators had quickly returned to their master, laughing and cheering as though proud of what they had done. Karkat had felt a sense of success in only one regard – his grandmother didn't want her past taken from her, so she would eternally remain with it, both in ashes.

"What do we do now?" Porrim asked, holding Kankri tightly, who was still completely silent.

"We have to find Mindfang," Karkat murmured.

"_What_?!" Porrim exclaimed. "But we don't even know if she even really exists!"

"She exists," Karkat snapped, looking to her. He then looked back to the home. "She wanted us to find her. So we'll find her."

And that's all that was needed. Together, the four had a massive journey ahead of them, and there was no turning back, no safety in familiarity anymore. Only progression. Karkat was the last to turn away from his home, guided by Kanaya's calming hand on his shoulder. There was a fire in his eyes that exceeded the reflection from his burning home. A lust for The Dolorosa's death, like that of his father's, to not be in vain. He squeezed the box and looked to Kanaya, who offered a small smile. There was confidence in Karkat that he hadn't understood before, and he wanted only to embrace it. He would find Mindfang, and he would end what his father began.

Massive, gloved hands reached down. Long, thick fingers wrapped around something small. A toy. A toy from a box, the contents of which had been dumped to make room for something else. It was a small, metal carriage. At the bottom of it, something was engraved. A six and a nine. It was tilted to the side in the large hands. A broad grin crept up a sinister visage. He had found them. Finally.

"Sir," a voice came from elsewhere. A large, shaggy head turned. Two, massive, spiraling horns reached up to the sky. No voice spoke, but the first continued. "Perhaps they went into the forest."

Wide, malicious, yellow eyes flickered over to the dark depths of the forest. Fingers closed around the small toy. Malevolence boiled deep within a massive body, like boiling oil, craving to be ignited. A yearning to end that which has begun lit a spark. Evil burned within. A step was taken, towards the forest.


	2. Chapter 2: a Little Help from My Friends

"Just a second," he hissed into the headset, the s slipping through his lips with slight difficulty. He paused the game and threw down the controller, then stood quickly and straightened his shirt, just before the pounding at his door came again. He narrowed his eyes and shouted an agitated "I'm coming!" before picking through the mess of his house, kicking over a pop can, and finally reaching the door. He yanked it open, and went to bellow an annoyed "what?!" before he saw what was standing at his threshold.

"Sollux, you gotta help us," his best and longest friend, Karkat, said, holding his unconscious brother's arm across his shoulder, his two sisters frantic behind him.

"Jesus," Sollux only had time to say before the Vantases and Maryams poured into his home. Kankri was brought to the sofa, where he was laid out gently. Karkat explained that the shock made him pass out.

"Shock from what?" Sollux demanded. "What the fuck is going on, man?"

"They invaded my house," Karkat said, locking Sollux's door, while the girls locked the windows and closed the blinds.

"The Subs?" Sollux said as more of a knowing statement than a question. "Fuck, man…" he ran his fingers through his hair. "Where's-" he began to ask, but a glance shot to him from Kanaya, told him all he needed to know. "Fucking hell… Do you have a plan?"

"A plan?" Karkat looked to him, a humourless smile stretched on his lips. "My plan was to get here. I don't have a fucking plan, Sollux. All I know, is that I need to find Mindfang."

"…Mindfang?" Sollux stared at him as Karkat moved about the room, as though checking for bugs and ensuring its security. "As in the _pirate queen_, Mindfang? Dude, history isn't even kinda sure that she exists. How the fuck are we going to find someone who allegedly travels through all of space when we aren't even sure she's a real thing, and even if she was, how the fuck do you think we would traverse all of space, huh?"

Karkat's eyes were fixed on Sollux's for a long moment. Sollux paled.

"What," he spat. "No. Fuck that. No way!"

"C'mon, man!" Karkat insisted.

"Karkat, that was a high school tech assignment. It was a fucking robot, not a space ship!"

"But it flew into space, and thrived completely on its own!"

"Even if I did have the knowledge to build a goddamn space ship, where the fuck do you expect me to get the materials? The body? I didn't make it all on my own, you know. I just did the tech."

"Then why not contact your partner?" Kanaya asked, her arms crossed as she gracefully approached them.

"That weird farmer kid from outside of town?" Sollux scowled, shaking his head. "I don't even know if he still lives there. I haven't heard from that kid in years."

"I offer my apologies in advance for saying this, but Aradia knows him," Kanaya offered, solemnly. Sollux quieted.

"And I hate to put it this way Sollux, but the safety and continued existence of my family is a little more important than your unrequited love affair," Porrim said, Kankri's head resting in her lap.

"No, you're right," Sollux nodded. "I'd do the same for my family."

Sollux was a mustard-blood, tall, lanky, and lived alone with his older brother, Mituna, who was… a bit difficult to live with. After an accident which involved the saving of Mituna's friends against a gang of highblood's, part of Mituna's sanity left him, and he became much like a child, of whom Sollux had to take care, on his own. Sollux's mother died long ago, and his father was currently embedded inside the ship which The Condesce rode throughout space, as The Helmsman. Karkat had known him his whole youth, and their friendship lasted throughout the years. They were like brothers.

Sollux reached into his deep pockets, and produced his phone, which he used to send a message to Aradia, an ex-lover of his, about the current status of his former tech partner, Equius. It wasn't long before he received a message.

"im with him right n0w" she replied. "whats up?"

Sollux replied. "ii need hiim two help me wiith buiildiing 2omethiing. 2omethiing biig."

It was a while before he received a response. Karkat and Kanaya had begun to grow worried. Kankri eventually woke up, and after throwing up for twenty minutes in Sollux's bathroom, he and Porrim sat together on the sofa, silently. Sollux had sent a text to Mituna's girlfriend Latula, asking if she wouldn't mind having him stay the night, to which she was more than happy to oblige. They soon found themselves sitting in the living room, laying on the furniture, Sollux practically upside down in his chair, staring at the silent, motionless mobile phone laying on the coffee table.

The five of them jumped when it began vibrating loudly, an angry moaning coming from the table as the device shook. Sollux lashed for it, and checked the message.

"hes in"

Twenty minutes passed, and an old pick-up truck pulled up into the Captor household's driveway. Equius Zahhak, an indigo-blood, was exactly how Sollux had remembered him. Shoulder-length, black hair, chipped teeth, broken horn, tall, and extremely built. He moved his limbs, and his muscles flexed and rippled beneath his skin. At the other side of the car, climbed out gentle Aradia, all in burgundy, her long, black hair bouncing behind her, her lips painted deep red. It took Sollux's breath away simply to see her. She flung, like a magnet, to Equius's side, her thin arms wrapping around his drainpipe-sized arm. Equius nodded politely.

"Sollux," he said, his voice deep though hoarse. "It has been too long."

"Yeah, yeah, the sooner we get this started, the sooner we can finish it," he turned away and left the door open for the couple behind him.

"He's a highblood," Porrim verbally acknowledged (to which Kankri replied "now, Porrim, there is no reason for one to be prejudiced or discriminate against highbloods insofar as they may not possess the same values and or hold the same beliefs as their peers, and-", who was silenced by Porrim's hand). As an indigo-blood, Equius was of the second-highest blood caste of land-dwelling trolls. If he was to turn himself and the operation in at any time, not only would he be pardoned, but most likely rewarded, simply because of his value and status in society.

"I'm a burgundy-blood," Aradia informed her. "And he loves me still. I trust him wholly."

"And of course because you trust him, everyone else should, right?" Sollux snapped, crossing his arms and pacing his kitchen slightly.

"Sollux, don't start," Karkat stopped him. "Listen," he turned to the highblood. "I don't know whether or not I can trust you, but all I need is for you to get me into space."

"That isn't difficult," Equius informed him. "But I am not without limits. I do not have an excess of materials, and I cannot create something that will be able to last long in space, as I only deal with TSTVs," he scratched his strong chin, his eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, which looked as though they were barely staying together.

"Listen, whatever you need, just, get me to space," Karkat insisted. "At least to the nearest station."

Equius looked to him, before giving a short nod. "Very well. I can do that."

"Thank you, Equius," Karkat sighed with relief, Kanaya and the rest also offering their relieved thanks to both Equius and Sollux.

The two worked relentlessly for the days following. They had begun the next morning. Equius arrived with his pick-up truck's bed covered in tarp, clearly filled with materials beneath the tarp. He had no problem bringing the materials in and out of the city's boarders, considering his highblood status. Sollux, meanwhile, had spent the entire night gathering materials and researching various articles and guidelines to assist him in "putting this goddamn tin can in space," as he would say. Kankri and Porrim had taken to watching out for Subs or cops cruising by the home, who might spot something unusual, and stop in. Kanaya assisted Sollux in the best way she could, while Karkat gave Equius a hand. Equius engaged in many a conversation with the smaller troll, including a rather dark secret of his: his father was Executor Darkleer, the follower of The Grand Highblood, who was banished when he couldn't carry out the demands of GHB. After he said this, Karkat felt compelled to tell him of his intentions to find Mindfang, without going into many details. After he was finished, Equius smiled, bearing his chipped teeth.

"There," he had said. "Now you know a secret of mine, and I know one of yours. We are even, lowblood."

Aradia remained at home, for the tension that could brew wouldn't be healthy, and this was far more important than broken hearts.

Building the ship ended the week, and finishing and installing the technology lasted through the weekend. Equius and Sollux had both taken work off (though it was far easier for Equius, considering he owned his own mechanic shop). There were a few final touches which needed to be done into the second week, and it was ready to leave the surface of the planet by Thursday, after various tests which deemed whether or not the craft was safe for air travel. Equius seemed confident in his design, and Sollux was never confident in much, but he was sure it would get them to the nearest space station.

It was… oddly shaped. Equius had to resort to using the spare supplies he had lying about, and anything Karkat managed to scavenge in back alleyways and lawns full of junk, at night. It was constructed of various different metals, which were the only ones that could actually sustain space travel at the speeds and temperatures that occurred, while keeping those inside well insulated and comfortable. It was dirigible-shaped, about the size of a small bungalow. The entire back half of it, was meant for air conditioning and waste management, while the front of it was mostly cockpit, about the size of a living room, enough to comfortably fit those who needed to be within. There was a sleeping quarters underneath, and a food-preparation area that was barely enough to fit one person at a time, though they would have to manage. It wasn't particularly homey, though, then again, it didn't have to be. It simply had to get them into space – landing them at the space station was a bonus.

It ran on a highly flammable jet fuel concoction, which Equius had pioneered himself, but because of this, there was an incredibly limited supply. He ensured them that it was concentrated, so a little would go a long way, and the amount he was giving to this project would easily fly them to the space station, and home, if the ship could actually sustain the trip.

Several buckets of the stuff sat beside the ship, ready to fill the fuel tank, the moment it was necessary. It had a very powerful, sort of pungent, and flammable odour when poured, and thus was best to keep contained until the exact moment its use was necessary.

Sollux, meanwhile, had engineered an auto-pilot system that knew where its destination was, how to get there, and how to sustain the life inside itself. He ensured them that it would be a comfortable flight, and if the autopilot system fails, there is a back-up system which will take them directly to the space station, using double the fuel, but taking about two thirds of the time.

It all seemed easy enough. The tech was flawless and foolproof, the ship was sturdy and would do its job, and on the Thursday evening, the six of them sat in Sollux's living room, drinking and relaxing for the first time in nearly two weeks. None of them spoke much (including Kankri), but it all said volumes to each other. Never once had Equius asked about why they needed to do this, and other than Karkat's brief explanation of their quest for Mindfang, no one mentioned it. It wasn't relevant. The point was, the job was done, and they would be going into space the following morning. The six exhausted souls drifted off into unconsciousness together, sharing the same dream of space flight and freedom.

That night, there came a loud sound from the shed, behind which the ship was covered and camouflaged. Equius and Sollux both erupted into consciousness at the sound, and Karkat was quickly after. He awoke Kanaya, who woke her sister and brother, and the six of them carefully picked their way to the back door, where they peered out the window. Shadows moved about the shed, and each of them had the similar fear of these figures searching too hard. Equius made a horse-like snort behind them, towering over the lot.

"Let me go out there," he hissed.

"Dude, no," Karkat replied. "They could be Subs."

"I can take them," Equius seethed.

"Maybe you could," Karkat replied. "But you couldn't take their tasers."

They watched in silence as the figures coalesced around the door of the shed.

"What are they doing?" Sollux murmured, before it all came crystal clear.

They suddenly fled the shed, clearing a large area around it. No one said a thing because no one had the time to utter a single syllable, before a very pungent smell violently entered their senses, hardly giving them time to react; it was followed by a loud explosion from in front of the door of the shed, wounding the small building, leaving a gaping hole into the inside.

"The fuel," Equius gasped, before yanking the door open, knocking everyone aside, and practically galloping outside.

The scent of the fuel flooded the house, as the rest rushed after Equius. The explosion had left behind burning embers and chunks of fiery tinder which were falling off the shed in large pieces. Karkat and Sollux only had time to see the liquid oozing out of the hole in the shed, suggesting a punctured bucket of fuel, before a burning hunk of wood fell from the shed, and onto the fuel, igniting it instantly, which caused it to lead into the shed.

"Get down!" Karkat shouted, before everyone hit the floor and covered their heads, and another explosion erupted, from within the shed this time.

Equius slowly lifted his head from his spot on the ground, and stared, in awe, at the burning shed. Behind it, through the smoke and flames, the ship was still standing, untouched except for the slightly-melted tarp. He sighed with relief.

"Equius," Sollux rushed to him. "What do we do? That's all the fuel."

Equius paused for a second, racking his mind for a solution, before it dawned on him. "My shop," he said. "There's a small supply in there. I've been giving it out to some customers as samples."

"Where?" Karkat exclaimed, already jogging away from them.

Equius shouted an address, which Karkat understood, before ripping through the air, ignoring the confused protests and shouts demanding for him to stop.

It was night in the city, and therefore rather quiet. He knew it would be only a matter of time before the Subs find the source of the explosions, and if they are still on the ground when that happens, they're all doomed. Karkat took all the back roads and alleyways he knew to get to the Zahhak mechanics shop.

He ran between two large apartment buildings, darkness heavy within, his eyes straining to see through the black. He could make out the vague silhouettes of garbage bags and trash cans, but nothing out of the ordinary. He slowed slightly to make it through the darkness, but once he believed he was far enough through that the exit was in sight, he picked up speed, before suddenly coming to an abrupt stop when he collided with a figure.

It felt like another troll. Thin, not very tall, but wearing soft, silk clothing and lots of jewelry. He didn't have much time to think about it before he was on the ground, his hands in front of his face, his knees scraped against the pavement. He snapped up and quickly spun around, the light from the street light at the end of the alleyway now illuminating what he couldn't previously see.

A tyrian-blooded troll stood before him, her long, black, wet hair stuck to her dark gray skin, her large yellow eyes almost glowing in the darkness. She was beautiful. Karkat froze for only a moment at the sight of her, before realising that he was a fugitive and he was standing in front of a highest-blooded troll. His expression quickly changed from curious, to horrified, as he backed away from her.

"Wait!" she stopped him, extending a webbed hand in his direction. "Don't go."

"Are you lost?" Karkat asked, before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I don't have time for this."

"Please!" she took a step towards him, and the light shone upon her face. His blood ran cold.

"Oh god," he breathed. "You're Princess Feferi Peixes… You're The Condesce's daughter."

"I'm not lost, I ran away," she said. "Please, help me."

"I'm sorry," Karkat said. "I can't."

He then bolted away from her, continuing in the direction of the shop. Despite his being a highblood, Equius couldn't afford the luxurious mechanic shop of his dreams quite yet, though, according to their conversations while building the ship, he was sure it wouldn't be long until he got to that point. In the meantime, the shop was small, squat, and indigo, like his blood. The Void Mechanics Shop, or simply "The Void". The inside was painted black but for some reason, despite the darkness within the shop, every Zahhak wore eye-gear, including their father.

It was easy for the small, nimble Karkat to weave his way into the building, through an open window. He found the fuel in a series of buckets, and with every ounce of willpower in his being, he lifted the thing, which was possibly heavier than he was, out the door, which he unlocked from the inside. An old shopping cart lay, on its side, on the curb beneath a street light, and Karkat grabbed it, cursing its wobbly wheel.

He didn't pass the tyrian-blood on the way home, and, frankly, he'd rather forget the whole thing happened.

Things were already loaded into the ship, along with Kankri and Porrim. Kanaya refused to board until Karkat got back, despite Sollux's persistence. Once Karkat arrived with the stuff, Equius approached it, and lifted it out with one arm, tossing it onto his shoulder as though it was a pillow (Karkat couldn't help but pause to watch in awe). He stabbed the lid twice with a screwdriver Aradia (who had decided to come to see Equius's creation take flight) had handed him, and proceeded to pour.

In the distance, a honking could be heard. Karkat, Sollux, and Equius looked at each other, their hearts stopping simultaneously.

"Subs."

Within seconds, there was a flood of the hooded, masked figures, pouring down the street. Equius stabbed the lid several more times, for both air to escape, and fuel, but panic was clearly setting in. Aradia lifted Kanaya into the ship, and Karkat was about enter as well, when his gaze passed over Sollux. His expression made him stop. His eyes were wide behind his blue and red glasses, and his gaze looked off into nothingness.

"They're gonna find me," Sollux said. "They're gonna find me here. This is my house. They're going to arrest me. They're going to torture me for information."

"Sollux, relax," Karkat said, his hands on his shoulders, attempting to soothe him. "It's not going to be that bad."

"Kk, they're going to kill me," Sollux's eyes flickered to Karkat's face. "Or worse."

Karkat couldn't deny the truth in what Sollux was saying. They would make him experience circumstances where one would beg for death, before even thinking of begging for it to stop. And after everything, after all he had done even in these past weeks, he couldn't leave him to that. If he went with Aradia, he would put her in danger too, and he would never allow that to happen. There was only one other option.

"Come with me," he said.

"What?" Sollux shook his head. "Impossible. The ship isn't meant to fit more than you guys."

"It can easily fit you," Karkat held Sollux in front of himself, staring directly past those stupid shades, into his red and blue eyes, the centres a pale red/blue, and darkening, in staggering waves, to darker shades as it expanded about his eyes. A removal of the sunglasses and a forcing of his will, could release his powerful telekinetic abilities inherited from his father. "If worse comes to worse, your lightening-mind shit could nudge our tin-blimp asses through space."

Sollux chuckled lightly before swallowing hard. He didn't want to face such a torment either. No sane troll would. He sighed heavily for a moment, before nodding. "Alright."

Just then, another whiff of the fuel could be smelt. Karkat simply associated it to it being poured into the fuel tank, before that theory being quashed by Equius's violent pitching of the empty bucket that once contained fuel, Aradia's attempt at easing him, and a loud uttering of something he didn't catch, as it was cut off by a screaming alarm.

"What the fuck is that?!" Karkat exclaimed. It was coming from the city, but loud enough to hear from the sub-district where Sollux lived.

"His alarm," Aradia said, her hands over her mouth.

Equius was pacing and running his fingers through his long, black hair. "Some delinquent lowbloods broke into my shop and dumped out my fuel; this isn't the first time this has happened."

"I do not believe that is all there is to it, Equius," Kanaya said from the ship, just as black smoke began bellowing in the horizon, from somewhere in the city – followed by yet another explosion as it caught onto the barrels of gasoline and other standard fuels in his shop.

No one said much. In a single night, everyone who had participated in the saving of this family had, too, lost practically everything they lived for. It was like a disease, infecting everyone they came into contact with, consuming the lives of each individual who dares participate in this suicide mission. Karkat couldn't believe he roped these people into this mess.

"You come too," Karkat said to Equius, just as the front door of Sollux's house was broken into, and the sound of shouting and flipping furniture was heard.

"It will not hold us!" Equius replied, through the sound of breaking glass and further destruction happening within the Captor home.

"You don't really have another choice," Karkat insisted, as Sollux was pulled into the ship.

Equius turned to Aradia, who promised him she would easily slip away and get home. He took her small hand, and pulled her towards him, her slender body pressed against his large form. He bent his head and softly kissed her lips, his hand resting on her lower back, another in her hair. Her arms were tightly around his shoulders, and she kissed him fully in return. He parted from her reluctantly, his hand lingering on her face and waist.

"Come back to me," she requested.

"Of course," Equius promised, before grabbing her hand and not letting go until their arms were outstretched. He then climbed into the ship.

Inside, Sollux shoved over Kankri, who was muttering about the inconvenience of the controls not being colour coordinated, and began flipping various switches which started the engine and ignited the fuel. It was loud as it inhaled to life, charging its organs for flight. Once it was sufficiently awoken, Sollux slowly gripped the steering handle in one hand, and the gearshift in the other, before yanking the latter back, and sending the machine slowly rising into the air. Sollux was breathing heavily in silent rejoice, before an almost whinnying-like sound came from behind him. Sollux began laughing with the rest, but his laughter quickly dissolved when he looked out the windshield and watched as the Subs began pouring into the back yard, armed with long-range weaponry.

"We need to get in the air faster!" Equius exclaimed, shoving past people in the cramped space to the seat beside Sollux's, and flicked a few switches, which suddenly made the thing lurch into the air, before pausing completely, as though suspended in time.

Then with a cough and a bellow of smoke, the ship launched itself into the air. The entire crew, if they were not sitting, were floored, the g-force still a bit much in an area where gravity was still an issue. Balls of fire rushed past the ship as they ascended, being fired from the Subs' weapons. They held on tight and kept their eyes out the windshield as they rushed passed clouds, before the sky began darkening. The higher up they headed, the easier it became to rise from the floor. It took only a minute before they were out of the earth's atmosphere. They could stand and walk aboard the ship easily, the only obstacle being the cramped setting. Nevertheless, they were safe from the Subs, and embarking, on auto-pilot, towards the nearest space station. Sollux and Equius couldn't help but look at each other and smile in utter relief. They didn't expect to witness their masterpiece taking flight this personally, and neither of them would change it for the world.

Outside, the surface of the earth was visible through the windshield, but from afar. Their gazes stretched over landscapes, cities, countries even. Upwards, the sky was filled with pin pricks of twinkling light amongst the darkest darkness one could ever imagine, a void of nothingness, not even colour. They embarked freely into this, heading at accelerating speed, hurtling towards the Lunar Space Station. Once they arrived, that was their plan complete. Where to go from there was completely ambiguous to them, at this point.

Despite all this, there was a sense of collective relief. As though each of them synchronously sighed. They were far away from the world in a makeshift TSTV, or Temporary Space Travel Vehicle. Karkat and Kanaya stayed close, experiencing their own sense of relief, and Kankri and Porrim held closely together, as they always were. They were in space.

One step closer to finding her. The pirate queen. Mindfang.

"Well? Did anyone help you?" the violet-blood said down his nose, a permanent sneer on his face, already knowing the answer to his question.

"No," the tyrian-blood replied, quickly walking away from him, her slender arms crossed.

"You're off your game, Fef," the violet-blood grinned, walking after her, his ringed fingers in his pockets, his long cape flowing behind him. "At this rate, you'll never get him fed."

"Shut up," Feferi replied, annoyed. "I bet you couldn't do any better."

"I could… And I have. Every time you whine to mommy that _you don't want to do it today_," he said, speaking the last words in a mocking manner.

"Well maybe I'm getting sick of this being my job," she said, facing the violet-blood. "If you want it so glubbing bad, Eridan, you have it."

"With pleasure!" he replied down his nose. "That way I can win the favour of your mother."

"Yes, because your father being the leader of the seas grants you no privileges at all," Feferi said, sarcastically.

"Ugh, speaking of the seas, can we please get out of this dump?" Eridan moaned in complaint. "This place is disgusting. I don't know how you can stand to be here at all."

"I do have a job to do," she groaned. "A job I freaking hate to be conknest."

Eridan laughed. "A sea pun. Swell."

Feferi smiled to him quickly before taking his hand, which was shimmering with gold and jewels, and boarding their sleek, black, brand new Long Term Space Travel Vehicle (LTSTV-XS series), exiting the dank, cryptic slums. "Let's go home."


	3. Chapter 3: I Would Walk 500 Light-Years

It wasn't long before they were, quite literally, "a hollow chunk of space trash, drifting aimlessly through endlessness", as Porrim put it so eloquently. They wished they could disagree with her, but it was simply inevitable from lift-off. With the added weight of Sollux and especially Equius, the ship shuddered and spluttered for a while, before it had no more fumes on which to run, and was simply suspended in space. The ship's advanced solar-powered system, which collected the sun's rays, even those that bounced off the Lunar Station, kept it livable. The temperature was monitored, and food could still be prepared, but they would eventually run out.

"This was a phenomenal idea," Sollux groaned.

"Had you an alternative, brilliant plan, _mustard-blood_?" Equius shot towards Sollux, to which Sollux replied with an abrupt standing and approaching of the much more massive highblood.

"Guys, relax," Karkat insisted, also standing, Kanaya quickly at his side, also asking for an end to this. Their voices were merely dissolved into the shouting of the four of them.

"Um," came a quiet voice from Kankri, completely lost amongst the shouting. "Um, Karkat," he tried again, to no avail. "Karkat? Kanaya?" he tried again. "Someone? HEY!"

The shouting quieted, and heads turned towards the Vantas, who had spent much of the trip rather quiet, contrary to his usual nature. Though what he had to say, definitely was of importance.

"There's another ship approaching on the radar," he offered.

Collectively, they moved to the small, beeping screen, on which a tiny blip had appeared. It quickly drew nearer, which wasn't difficult considering their crawling speed, but it wasn't very large.

"Can you get any information from it?" Equius asked, looking over to Sollux, who began clicking away at a keyboard.

"It's just a transportation ship," Sollux said. "For small cargo."

"Those often do minor repair work on drifting ships," Equius said. "But I doubt if they carry my fuel, and that's our only issue. No reason to send out an SOS to it."

"We're gonna run out of food at some point," Karkat replied. "Maybe he could give us a lift, or something."

"These guys usually want nothing to do with anything other than their job," Sollux told Karkat. "I doubt he'll offer anything substantial, especially a ride."

"Still," Equius scratched his chin. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. He could pass another ship which he could then direct our way."

"I believe it is worth the effort," Kanaya offered.

Sollux lifted the casing for a blue button with white lettering reading SOS on its surface. He pressed his palm to it, and a small beeping came from the dashboard of the ship.

"It sends out signals on all radio frequencies nearby, pretty much within the visibility of the radar," Sollux explained. "This guy should hear it."

Soon enough, a green light above the blue, SOS button turned on, indicating that the ship was responding to the call. Within minutes, they became close enough to send out a call, to which the crew of the tin can responded, readily.

A screen flipped up from its flushed place in the dashboard, and a visage appeared on it. The man on the ship couldn't be much older than Porrim and Kankri. His hair was black and wavy, slicked back and styled in a way that became outdated decades ago. He chewed on a tobacco cigarette, a broad grin on his face. There was a deep scar above his eye, and pain behind his snide façade.

"Why hello there, little floaters," he said, the cigarette bouncing against his lips as he spoke. "I heard your call and made my way on over. What seems to be the problem?"

Kanaya reached for the microphone, which was on an arm extended from beside the screen, as she was nearest to it, and spoke into it. "We are completely out of fuel," she said, her voice dripping in sincerity, etiquette, and polite mannerisms. "It would do us a world of good if you could come to our aid. We would be indebted to you, greatly."

"My, my, look at you, my dear," he looked her up and down for a long moment. Kanaya scowled. "A damsel in distress, are we? I sure wouldn't mind giving you a hand, my sweet."

"Ugh," Kanaya's lips curled. "For heaven's sake. This isn't an invitation for flirtation, this is a plea for help."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said, in exaggerated defensiveness. "I'll give y'all a little bump in the appropriate direction. You headed to the Lunar?"

"Yes, we are," Sollux tore the mic from Kanaya's grip and spat into it. "Can you just help us out and we'll be on our way."

"I remember the lady mentioning something about being indebted?" he bit his lip and looked to her. "What do you say, back on Lunar, I take you out for a drink?"

"We don't have time for this nonsense," Kanaya lunged for the mic, but Sollux pulled it away from her.

"Just go out with the guy," he said to her. "One drink. Otherwise, who knows how long it'll be till someone comes around again. Space is a pretty fucking big place, man."

She looked to Sollux, in shock that he would even utter such a vile suggestion, but it did seem rational. She nodded quickly with a venomous "very well" before turning away and heading back with her sister.

"She'll do it," Sollux said.

Cronus cheered over-enthusiastically, and Kanaya felt herself revolted already. Porrim couldn't help but snigger as she held her sister, and even Karkat cracked a smile.

"Alright, can you give us a bump now?"

"Sure thing, little floaters. See y'all on Lunar! Especially you, honey."

The call then disconnected, and a chuckle was shared at Kanaya's expense. Meanwhile, the agile little transportation truck buzzed its way to behind their ship, and, quite literally nudged it towards the Lunar Station. The accelerated velocity assisted them in drifting at a higher speed towards the space station, though it would still be a very long time before they got there.

Five hours passed. They slept, they read, they talked, they played various video games on the system Sollux installed (hoping him and Karkat would have been able to play together online during his flight). They were all rather tired, before a loud bang awoke them, followed by a sudden turbulence on the ship. Equius barked for them to stay low to the ground, while he shifted carefully to the front, Sollux closely behind.

"The security system on the Lunar Station," Equius said. "If it notices a drifting ship, it'll send out a tractor beam, which will temporarily disable all electronic functions, and drag the ship towards itself for analysing."

A voice came on the radio.

"You have been recognized as being a drifting ship. Your fuel tank is either depleted or damaged, you are missing essential components to your ship, or your electronics or steering/powering capabilities are somehow compromised," a pre-recorded electrical voice spoke. "You have been latched, and are being pulled towards the Lunar Space Station IX831. Your ship will be opened, and potentially boarded. Please remain calm and do not interfere. Have a safe and happy day."

The closer the ship became to the satellite orbiting their home planet, on which had been built the massive space station, the more easily one could make out the details on the surface of the moon. The Lunar Space Station was not the first to be built, and was a concept pioneered by an alien race that had long since died out. The planet from which the trolls came, Alternia, used to have two moons, but it is said that the other was either blown up, or completely stolen right out of the sky. The last, remaining moon was this one, on which the Lunar Space Station IX831 was built, about thirty years ago.

It lurched and shuddered as it pulled into an open set of doors, and dropped onto legs which held it just above the ground. Men in black suits and helmets with shields that completely hid their faces, came running out, holding weapons, though purely for emergencies. The door of the ship was opened, and the men came pouring in. None of the trolls inside put up a fight.

"Name?" the man said to Equius.

"Equius Zahhak," he replied, quickly and professionally. "Indigo-blood."

"Ah, your family owns the garage back on Alternia," the masked man said, his stance relaxing, lowering his weapon.

"Yes," Equius replied, almost taken aback by the casual nature. "My older brother and I."

"You fixed up my wife's Family STV," he said, crossing his arms. "Excellent job. It purred after you were done with it."

He then laughed and looked around to the rest of them. "And who are your friends?"

"Ah, I found myself with a severe lack of parts, and I elected to venture up here to retrieve them," Equius explained, his lie slipping through those cracked teeth as easy as breathing. "I asked my companions here if they would like to see the Space Station. They had never been, you see."

"In this piece of crap?" the man looked around at it.

"I built it out of scraps I had laying around," Equius continued his fluid lie. "It was a bit of a hobby piece for a while. I suppose it wasn't as finished as I had thought," he added with a chuckle.

The man laughed with him. It was so deliciously false, and the guard had no idea. "Well, then. You came at a good time. It's the fiftieth anniversary of the _Lady Astra_, a cruise ship that's been docking here for years. There's all kinds of kiosks, parties in the streets, bars with cheap drinks and good food, motels are half-off, souvenirs everywhere."

The guard continued to babble as he led them out of the ship, and into the streets of the space station. Equius and the group managed to slither past the guard, without even making him think to ask them for identification, and to register them as being in the Station's streets, a usually-mandatory task. Before they knew it, Equius was waving goodbye, and they were on the streets.

The Lunar Space Station was more of a small city, than it was a mere station. It expanded onto the entire left hemisphere of the surface of the satellite, with massively tall docking stations, stretching as far as the eye can see. The _Lady Astra_ was visible in the distance, a magnificent, luxurious STCS (Space Travel Cruise Ship), with streamers dripping from it, pouring with people who were ripe with activity.

"I'd like to see that ship," Porrim said, dreamily.

"Likewise," Kankri replied hastily. "It is a picture of societal commotion and I am interested in observation for the sake of keeping my vast understandings of social goings-on up to date."

"You guys go ahead," Karkat agreed. "Keep your heads low, try to stay blended with the public, but keep an eye out for Subs, or anything else suspicious."

"What are we gonna do?" Sollux asked.

"Well, he mentioned that motels were half off," Karkat shrugged. "I think we should find a motel."

"Hey, baby doll!" came a voice from the docks. Everyone's heads turned to see the driver of the transportation ship. "Look at you, slender, fair, flawless. You're like… a piece of paper before anybody's written on it."

"Touching," Kanaya's lip curled.

"And as for you," Karkat grinned, nudging Kanaya in the direction of the cat-calling man. "I believe you have a date?"

"I will forever loathe the lot of you for this," Kanaya seethed as she parted from them, and began walking parallel to the man, though keeping a comically-exaggerated distance between them.

The motel they found was in the area of the space station that could only be described as "downtown". The kiosks were packed tightly beside each other, merchants calling out for sales of various things, including hand-made jewelry, treats and fudges, cheeses and pickled foods, beverages, temporary tattoos, clothing and other accessories, and the list goes on, with restaurants and motels crammed between them. The entire area smelt of fresh foods, artificial air (which had a distinct bitter scent to it), and ship fuel. They all lined the pier, which looked out to the tower-docks that larger ships used, and lower docks that TSTVs and other smaller STVs used.

They kept their heads low as they purchased the room, thankful of Equius's constantly having his wallet in his pocket. The room was small, with two double beds, and a cot. Porrim and Kanaya could take a bed, then Sollux and Karkat in the cot, and Equius and Kankri in the other bed. The bathroom light didn't work, and the television only received the weather channel. The beds squeaked, the sink dripped, and the shower had hot water for ten minutes. All in all, the room was disappointing, to say the least. But it was far better than nothing.

Kankri and Porrim arrived within a few hours, when Sollux texted Porrim the address of the motel, thankful of the excellent lunar cellular phone service. They reported having seen nothing suspicious, and Porrim got herself a few free henna tattoos to add to her abundance of already-existing tattoos. Kanaya didn't arrive home until far later that night, head swimming slightly from the wine. It turns out that transport ship-driver was good for more than just one nudge in the right direction.

"I talked to him a bit about our escapade," Kanaya informed them, her pristine annunciation tainted with slight slurring. "Didn't mention many details. But he gave me a bit of advice on where to go if we're looking for adventurous space maidens."

Serket & Serket Trading Company. S&S Co. Their ship, the _Marquise Spinneret_, was an old pirate ship, renovated and improved to function as a trading vessel. They were two, rich sisters, who ruled the stars with guile, cunning, and bravery, their fists filled with gold, their eyes glimmering with lust for adventure. Their flag was a massive asterisk, trapped within a spider web. It was docked at one of the highest docks, surrounded by a convoy. Sollux climbed the seemingly endless stairs to the dock, where he asked a deckhand where the sisters were.

"Local tavern, sir," the boy said. "They'll doubtlessly be there."

Sollux gave the news to Equius and Karkat, who then ventured to the pier-side tavern (the rest had gone their own way, and were to meet at the motel at a designated time). The Salty Mistress was filled with the sound of chatter, the low chiming of music, the clinking of glasses. Male laughter would erupt from a corner of the tavern, but no one seemed bothered by anyone other than their own company. The three were none too bothered by the concept of drink, as they headed to the back of the tavern. A few large men sat at a booth, which surrounded a circular table. At the centre of this table, sat two cobalt-blooded women.

One had shorter hair, cute lips the colour of her blood, her eyes filled with life and excitement. She was busty, short, but attractive, in a cute way. A large spider clung to her shoulder, and gingerly cleaned its long legs. She chatted away with a woman who sat beside her, a tyrian-blood with a red bandana, and two, long braids extending down her back, and gold piercings dotting her face. She was scrawny and tall, hard muscles visible within her slender arms. They spoke closely to each other, as though perhaps there was more than friendship there.

At her side, sat her younger sister. Her hair was longer, thick, voluminous and wavy, her lips were thin but could clearly spin lies like webs, and be able to walk among them with spider-like ease. She wore a long, cobalt coat, pockets heavy with coin. Her eyes were cunning and sly, and filled with ambition and intelligence. She tapped her long fingers on the table as her eyes scanned about the room, before landing on the three boys. She grinned, and the boys' blood ran cold. She beckoned, and they didn't hesitate to comply.

"And who are these fine gentlemen?" she said, looking the three of them up and down slowly, each in turn, as though she owned all of them and she was simply admiring her collection. The men around them stopped their conversation, as did the elder Serket, and her girlfriend.

"We are here to request transport," Equius asked.

It was replied to, with a collective chuckling of everyone present at that table.

"I didn't ask you why you're here, I asked you who you were," the younger Serket sneered.

"Equius Zahhak," Equius placed his hand on his chest, before gesturing to the others. "These are my traveling companions, Sollux and Karkat. We are in the company of an additional three individuals. We co-"

"Okay, okay," she lowered her head and held her palm up, silencing him. "I'm not interested in stories, friend. Where are you headed?"

"W-well, we…"

"Speak up, kiddo, I can't hear you," the elder Serket's tyrian-blooded girlfriend mocked.

"We don't know," Karkat said. The table laughed again.

"I can't take you there, sorry," the younger Serket rolled her eyes, and took a swig of her large mug of beer.

"We're trying to find someone," Karkat blurted as the men got bored and began chatting amongst themselves again. "We think you might have an idea where she is."

"And why is that," the younger Serket asked, not even looking to Karkat, asking it as though she just wanted him to leave already.

"Because your ship is named after her."

The table went silent again. The Serkets both slowly looked to each other, before looking back to the group of three, and leaning forward slightly.

"You're looking for Mindfang," the older Serket finally spoke. Karkat nodded. They looked to each other again, before she continued. "You're not from around here, are you? Around these parts, we rule the stars. We've got more money than we know what to do with, we know more people than you've probably ever met in your life, and our ship is the fastest in this half of the galaxy. But in the grand scheme of things, we don't even come close to the power and riches that Mindfang holds. She owns the universe."

"Do you know where she is?"

"Of course we do," the younger said. "I know where she is now, and I know where she'll be in a few days, where we can reach her."

"And can you take us to her?"

"Sure we can," the younger nodded, looking to her sister, who also nodded. "We're headed that way anyway."

"Awesome!" Karkat celebrated with the other two. "When can we leave?"

"Hold up there, kiddo," the younger said, leaning back. She outstretched a hand, and rubbed her middle and index fingertip, and thumb together. "We ain't free."

"We ain't cheap either," the tyrian-blood added, causing the table to laugh.

"How much do you want?"

"Fifty thousand." "_Fifty thousand_?!" "Fifteen thousand for fuel, ten for food and water filters, five for electricity charges, five for basic maintenance." "And the last fifteen?"

All at once, the entire table lifted their drinks. They then erupted into laughter and cheering, clinking their mugs together and drinking heavily, conversation immediately recommencing afterwards.

"We don't have fifty thousand," Karkat said over the conversation.

The youngest Serket leaned forward once more, an eyebrows raised, a broad grin on her mouth, bearing a set of long, pointed teeth, two elongated fangs resting against her bottom lip. "Then you don't have a ship."

The three of them left the tavern, Karkat doing all he could to keep from climbing over the table and grabbing that cobalt-blood by her throat and bellowing into her despicable, spiteful face. Kanaya came approaching as they left, and she furrowed her brow as she did so.

"Why were you guys in a tavern? Did you speak to the Serket Sisters?"

"Yeah, and they're a couple of slimy, cheap, repugnant fucking coin purses, both of them," Karkat trudged past Kanaya. Equius and Sollux explained what had transpired during her absence, and Kanaya found herself snarling with distaste. As she did so, the French doors of the tavern parted, and out marched the two cobalt-blooded sisters, surrounded by their large shipmates, which Kanaya proceeded to plow through. She grabbed the younger by her high collar, and slammed her against the tavern wall.

"You contemptible troll," she shouted. "How dare you turn these boys away simply because they cannot afford to further stuff your pockets with useless trifles! Do you even comprehend the plights my companions and I have undergone to reach this sphere of rock? Do you even have a clue why we are even here, you bile-swollen flesh sack? Of course not! Because you refuse to extend your listening capabilities beyond the monetary barriers that you, yourself, construct! My caregiver and guardian was burned alive because of the treachery of circumstances on Alternia, and I will not allow her flesh to have boiled for the sake of finding Mindfang, and you, a repulsive, seething mass of bile compared to the golden picture of pureness and goodness that is The Dolorosa, stand in my wa-"

"Wait, wait!" the elder sister stopped her. "The Dolorosa?" Kanaya lowered the younger sister to the ground and turned to the elder.

The woman approached Kanaya with a stern expression, but once she reached her, she merely extended a hand in her direction, a bright smile on her face.

"Aranea and Vriska Serket, at your unrelenting service!" she announced.

"Pardon me?" Kanaya's brow furrowed.

"We should speak," Aranea suggested, placing a gentle hand upon Kanaya's shoulder. "Come, bring your family. There's much I think you should know."

While Aranea guided Kanaya away, followed by the three boys, towards the ship, Vriska stood in her place, eyes wide, watching after the fair woman. No one would dare touch her that way. She was strong and wealthy and important, and could crush anyone. Why, then, did she let that happen? Her stomach fluttered and her heart skipped when she thought about it.

"I think I'm in love," she muttered, to which the shipmates replied with loud laughter.

The _Marquise Spinneret_, or Spinneret for short, was a magnificent ship. It was long and slender, with pointed spires and a blade-like appearance. It was constructed of a slick, black metal, which absorbed sun rays more powerfully than super-solar. Inside, one would think that they were walking through a manor, rather than a ship. Everything seemed dark, with an almost gothic appearance to it – intricate, spindly trim, and cast iron candle holders/sconces, large, high-backed chairs with intricate woodwork, among the other elegant-looking decorations. Another common sight was live spiders, large ones, dropping down the walls, scuttling past your feet, creeping around the shelves of books. And because of this, there were also spider-webs everywhere, and the four found themselves dodging them, while Aranea and Vriska seemed immune to them as they gracefully made their ways down the halls.

Eventually, they arrived at a sitting room, with grand, wing-backed chairs, and a vast fireplace, burning blue fire. Vriska and Aranea sat in two of the larger chairs, and offered seats for the rest.

"You're probably curious about why we know, so easily, where Mindfang is, currently," Aranea said, the large spider crawled up in her lap, apparently enjoying the stroking Aranea was administering down its hairy back.

"She's our mother," Vriska said.

"She raised us in the stars, just as she was raised," Aranea said. "The Pirate Queen, even in her youth. When she had us, she slowed her pace, to raise us, take care of us. We knew nothing but life in the sky, and how to take whatever we wanted. Eventually, though, we wondered how life would be on the other side. So, we took some of our mother's gold, and tried our hands at a normal life."

"At first, well, let's just say, she didn't give us her blessing," Vriska continued. "But we already had tons of contacts, and it was pretty easy to get ourselves to where we are now. She kinda sees how successful we are, and she's proud of us, in her own way. We let her play on her side, and she lets us play on ours. The good side. Though, that's not to say we don't dabble in a little black magic," she added, with a suggestive grin.

"But the reason we're bringing you in here now, and telling you this," Aranea said. ("And giving you a free ride…" Vriska mumbled under her breath) "Is because our mother had always told us, that if ever we came across the name The Dolorosa, to be as charitable as possible. So, here we are."

"Shit…" Sollux hissed form the corner of the room. "Kk, Porrim just texted me. She and Kankri spotted Subs downtown, and there's a Sub ship docked near here."

"Tell them to get here as soon as possible," Karkat responded quickly, before turning to the Serkets. "How soon can you leave?"

"Right away," Vriska said, standing and leaving the room, to head to the control spire.

Aranea said that they should find a place for them to hide, if worse comes to worse. She then whispered some things to her girlfriend, who then nodded, and told them to follow her. She led them to a sitting room area, with shelving unit on one wall. The tyrian-blood went to a table and reached underneath the tabletop, which loosened a book on a bookshelf, which, when pulled back, made the two halves of the shelving unit, come away from each other, revealing a doorway.

Vriska's voice came over the radio. "The Subs are doing sweeps!"

The Tyrian-blood was quick to push the group into the hidden room, followed by herself. It was small, clearly not meant to fit many people, but there was food and reading material, which one could only assume existed because this room was often used. Kankri and Porrim were in the room just before Meenah pressed the button to shut and seal the shelves, but they made it, safe inside.

"I'm Meenah, by the way," the tyrian-blood said. "I'm The Condesce's oldest daughter and I'm sorta AWOL. Don't worry, they never find this room."

The sweep took an hour. They heard the Subs enter the room, move furniture, shuffle things about, then leave. One could only assume it had been the same thing, over and over again. The Serket Sisters stood near the entrance to the ship, arms crossed, anxiously waiting, both with identical plans in their heads. Just before the Subs filed out, they announced a message over the radio, alerting everyone aboard the ship that they were not to leave until they were finished being processed, which should take one and a half to two hours.

"Ha! Fuck that," Vriska said as she dove back into the driver's seat, and twisted the ignition, causing the ship to roar to life, before peeling out of the docking system. Sub cruisers were hot on their trail, easily catching up to them, as no space ship could accelerate quickly enough to be at full speed before leaving the atmosphere. The cruisers couldn't function out of the artificial atmosphere of the Space Station. The six had left the hidden room, and made their way to the cockpit, where they watched as the Sisters went to work at getting their ship faster. "C'mon, baby, c'mon…" Vriska breathed, before slamming her finger down on a button, and yanking back the gearshift. The massive ship weaved, as though it was a fraction of its actual size, around the offending ships, which didn't even bother to fire their weapons, as it would have been a finger flick against a brick wall in comparison.

Before long, they burst out of the atmosphere, and slid gently into outer space, the ship accelerating to full cruising speed. The Sisters breathed a heavy sigh of relief, before Vriska grabbed the microphone for the PA system.

"Thank you for flying Air Serket, you are now free to move about the spaceship. We hope you enjoy your fucking flight," she said, before slumping in her chair, having freed an entire family. "Next stop, mother dear."

"They keep slipping through our fingers, Milord," a Sub pawn said through his face-concealing mask.

"They're a bunch of kids," the Subjugglator general snarled. "How does a team of trained trolls keep letting these delinquents escape?"

"They took a ship," another Sub said. "W-we don't know where it's going."

"Which ship, imbecile!" the general barked.

"Serket & Serket," said the first Sub. "Those cobalt-blood sisters and their idiotic trading company. We could try to get a schedule from the Space Station docks, but…"

As he spoke, a massive figure stood, and took long, heavy steps towards the two Subs, who were bowing before him. The general scurried aside when he noticed his master rising. The large figure stood immensely before the two Subs, and outstretched his hands. Simultaneously, both Subs flinched and closed their eyes tightly, preparing for the worst. However, nothing came. Nothing but a gentle patting of the enormous hands on their shoulders. It was almost comforting, soothing. They let their guard down and relaxed, for just a moment. And that's what the massive troll was waiting for.

The moment he felt the two forms ease, his hands opened, and flung to the skulls of both Subs and gripped tightly; he flicked his wrists, and broke both necks as though they were made of ice. He held the limp, lifeless bodies by their skulls for a long moment, before sighing, heavily, malicious, yellow eyes slowly closing with realisation. Thick, massive fangs were bared as he grinned.

"**Mindfang**," said the massive form. "**Send him.**"

After the deep, thunder-like voice dripped from that fanged mouth, he dropped the two bodies and left the throne room, the blood of every troll under his rule painting the walls around him.


	4. Chapter 4: Blvd of Endless Expansion

Traveling through space with the Serket Sisters wasn't all that bad. In fact, it was quite enjoyable. Their crew kept mostly to themselves, while the Serkets bounced around the ship, checking things, adjusting things, speaking with people, and ensuring things. Eventually, they joined the other younger trolls in the main sitting room, which was at the front of the ship, below the cockpit, with a massive window that looked out to the impending skies. Karkat and Sollux lounged on a large, leather sofa, chatting about a game, the release of which they had much anticipated. Kankri and Equius got to chatting about Equius's fuel, which was a topic he could go on for centuries about, and any topic was a topic Kankri could go on for centuries about. Kanaya and Porrim chatted about various things, mostly about what they were going to do for lodging when they returned home, though they kept most conversations like that out of ear shot of their youngest brother.

The girls had known Karkat long enough to know that he wasn't that much unlike his brother as he would have preferred. He was just as nervous about things falling down around him, and since he had already undergone essentially just that, a few times, it was just best to make sure that he had no reason to allow his mind to wander to the worst possible conclusion. Once Karkat lost his will to fight, it was too easy for the rest of them to follow suit.

They were treated well on the ship. Food and drink were abundant, the rooms were luxurious and comfortable, despite having to bunk two to a room, and everyone seemed in well enough humour. They had set a direct course to Mindfang's approximate location, and were not concerned with the amount of time it would take them in the least, considering this was the first sample of luxury they had undergone in a long while.

Aranea, Vriska, and Meenah entered the room. Porrim and Aranea had begun speaking to each other, and she was assured that Meenah was as estranged from her family as possible, but that didn't keep her from being a liability. The Royal Guard, the special unit force dispatched directly from The Condesce herself, still boarded their ship on suspicion of harbouring the royal daughter, but they were still yet to find the room, which didn't even display on any tricky devices the Royal Guard used, that it existed at all.

They sisters made themselves comfortable in the sitting room, and platters filled with various snack items were set out on the table before them. They indulged idly while the massive ship sliced through space.

Back home, Aradia had finally got into contact with Latula and Mituna, and they arranged to meet at Equius's farm. The situation was obviously dire, and each of them had their own piece to offer.

"I think Sollux has been trying to text me," Latula said. She was a teal-blood, with long, dark hair, stylish teal and red garb, red sunglasses, and her trusty hoverboard. The elder of the Pyrope sisters. "I keep getting these garbled messages and it sometimes shuts my phone off."

"We shouldn't worry about them," Aradia said, running her fingers through her hair. "We should trust that they will be alright."

"Well that's just stupid," Mituna hissed, pulling his helmet off, his mass of black, poofy hair expanding about his head, and covering his red and blue Captor-esque eyes. "What kind of lazy swill sucker sits around and waits to see if her boyfriend is even alive? What if Sollux is trying to send out messages for help, huh? And you're just sitting here like a big, bitchy, slob, hoping that maybe your boy toy will give you a fucking call?"

"Mituna," Latula said softly, stopping him.

Aradia pursed her lips and looked away from him, already incredibly distraught by the situation, and it not being at all improved by Mituna's insults.

"Is there some way we can find them?" Aradia asked quietly.

"Fucking obviously," Mituna's lip curled. "Why the fuck else do you think I would have agreed to come to this festering shit-hole anyway?"

"It's secluded," Latula placed a hand on his lap, shutting him up again. "It's far out of the reach of town, which means the tracking signal doesn't touch us here. The Zahhak farm is totally off the radar, and I don't think The Grand Highblood even knows it exists, let alone how to get here."

"So what do we do?" Aradia asked, curiously.

"Someone's gotta contact Horrus," Latula frowned.

"Man, fuck that noise!" Mituna protested.

"I know, it's obviously not something we'd be looking forward to do, but if there's anyone who would be able to locate his brother, it would be Horrus," Latula reasoned. They couldn't help but agree.

It was an hour, before the elder Zahhak pulled up in the driveway. His vehicle was constructed of a patchwork system of chunks of metal, spouts and chimneys sprouting up at odd angles from it, all releasing puffs of some sweet-smelling substance. Horrus climbed from the top hatch of this vehicle, and descended to the ground, a massive, goofy smile on his face, eyes lost behind his thick goggles. His long hair was tied up in a tight ponytail behind his head, and his horns extended out from his helmet, pointing awkwardly to the sky. He nodded and smiled at each of them, individually, before clasping his hands together.

"I fear there is a conundrum, only placated by the contacting of my younger sibling and his comrades," Horrus said, gravely. "We can remedy this disquiet with some minor adjustments to a cellular device, if I may."

It was Aradia who stepped forward, but Mituna extended a gloved hand out towards her.

"Your boyfriend can wait," he said, slapping his phone into Horrus's hand. "I gotta hear from my useless snivelling brother, first."

Horrus flashed a bright, almost frightening smile, before taking the phone towards the barn. A keypad hung on the wall, into which he punched a code, causing the massive metal doors to slide away, revealing a massive lab. Horrus immediately went to work, pulling apart and dissecting the phone, inserting new bits, fixing things, then assembling it again. Mituna reached out a hand towards a capsule with constant lightening happening within it, but before his hand was even an inch away from it, he received a swift "don't touch that" from Horrus, who's back was turned to him. Mituna's eyes widened and he pulled his hand away.

Horrus handed back Mituna's phone, that eerie smile not having left his face, even slightly.

"You now get free long distance to anywhere in the galaxy," Horrus informed him.

Sollux's phone vibrated in his pocket, and he paused his in-depth conversation with Karkat about the mechanics of the new Old Parchment games, before producing his phone, and looking down to it quizzically. "It's from… Mituna."

"H3Y Y0U YU0 SK4NK 455 CHUNK 0F WH4L3 B1L3," said the text.

"Well, he's doing okay," said Sollux, before replying with a simple "hey how are thiing2".

"W0RI3D S1CK 4B0U7 Y0UR F4T 4ZZ 4PP4RN7LY," he replied. "WH3R U 4T?"

"ii can't really 2ay 2peciifiic2 riight now, but we have a lead and we're followiing iit"

"1 GUEZZ 7HA75 G00D N3W5 0R WH473V3R BU7 WH3N 4R3 Y0U G3771NG B4CK"

"ii don't even really have a full gra2p of where we're goiing other than that iit'2 in the riight diirectiion, ii hope."

"Y0U D1DN7 AN53R MY QU35710N"

"ii don't know"

"W3LL 7H475 A 5H177Y FUCK1NG AN5W3R."

"iit'2 the be2t ii got riight now. 2tay wiith latula for a while, ok? ii'll text you whenever ii can ju2t to check iin and tell you that we're alriight. ii2 that ok?"

"N0"

"well iit'll have to do for now. tell latula thank2 for me. ii'll see you guys later."

"D0N7 G37 BL0WN UP"

"ii'll try"

Artificial UV light sources in the ship kept it lit, and kept those aboard filled with energy, as though under real sun's rays. When night came, the lights would dim to golden orange, then a bright pink, to a pale purple, and finally a low blue as the UV would shut off, allowing the those aboard to become tired, their melatonin levels increasing due to the illusion of the sun having gone down. For once, the young trolls felt as though they could relax, as they ate a good meal, chatted around the blue fire, before adjourning to bed.

Sollux and Karkat kept their room together, but Kanaya and Equius found themselves bunking as Porrim and Kankri had asked if they could share a room. The two older siblings were close friends. Porrim was the only one who seemed immune to Kankri's incessant babbling, while Kankri seemed to refuse to babble incessantly to Porrim, as though she already knew what Kankri was building up to say. They seemed to live in blissful silence together. He understood her need to be respected as a woman, and she understood his need to be respected as a sensitive person. They had a connection that they didn't possess with anyone else. Perhaps this is what made them so close.

However, closeness was becoming an issue. Kankri and Porrim had no blood relation to each other, but they were raised as siblings. And as such, the pale feelings that were slowly blossoming between them, seemed to complicate things. They kept each other stable and calm, even in times of great stress, and they had an extraordinary understanding of each other, within the boundaries of cognition. These things were what made a moiriallegiance. Furthermore, being in each other's presence was pacifying to them as well, hence why they pushed for the same bedroom. But these factors were irregular in a sibling relationship, and they feared that approaching people with the love they knew they shared for each other wouldn't be accepted by their peers.

Sollux and Karkat usually spent all night yammering about whatever they felt was important. Sometimes, about video games or other trivial topics. Sometimes, it would get more intense, and they would talk about their family life back home, their worries with this mission, what they would even do if/when they found Mindfang, and their concerns for those back home. Karkat had his family with him, and he could keep his eyes on them, but Sollux's life, his family, was back home. He had much to be concerned for. Karkat was immensely apologetic to his best friend for "dragging his scrawny ass into this mess", but Sollux insisted that he would have it no other way.

Equius and Kanaya were, at first, very quiet with each other, spoke little, but it was Kanaya who initially broke the tension between them. They were not two people who usually spent time with each other, other than a smile or nod in passing back on Alternia. But Kanaya felt as though he deserved at least her conversation, after all he had done. She mentioned Aradia, to which he responded eagerly. They had been together for a while, and hooked up three months after her relationship with Sollux had ended. He clearly loved her, but he said he felt as though there were emotions in their relationship that he felt were missing, certain connections he wasn't feeling. When he passed the conversation over to Kanaya, she suddenly felt like the most boring troll in Alternia, having had no love interest other than the odd, small relationship that was hardly anything to write home about. When he mentioned Vriska, she noticeably went quiet, her pale face turned away from him. He could almost feel the butterflies in her stomach at the mere mention of the younger Serket, vicariously.

"I miss those days," he sighed, smiling as he watched her suppress her flustering, her cheeks turning a deep jade.

The Serket sisters were lounging in the sitting room, a glass of wine in their hands, the blue flames dancing for them in the fire place, cascading hues of blue light flashing about the room. Meenah had passed out ages ago and had given her girlfrond a quick peck on the lips, before heading to their shared room to sleep. Vriska had never wanted to fall in love. She had seen it happen over and over again. That's not to say she hadn't been in any relationships, because she had. But there was little love behind them. They tended to be mostly out of convenience, or she believed she could gain something from it. She based her life around that dogma. If she couldn't gain anything from it, then it wasn't worth her time. Aranea had told her, time and time again, that love, in itself, was a huge gain. But Vriska couldn't see it. It complicated things. She was much better off a lone space pirate.

Why, then, could she not get her mind off of that jade-blood?

Any other individual, she would have clobbered right then and there, smeared into the pavement, annihilated with every ounce of her being. She was strong enough to. But she couldn't bring herself to it. She couldn't see past the passion and devotion in that woman's eyes. It struck her so deeply, she could hardly keep herself together. It made her feel numb, but then once the numbness faded, she felt more than she ever had before. She wouldn't mind if the jade-blood slammed her against the wall with passion for Vriska, rather than her family. But perhaps it was that passion for her family that Vriska admired. She never possessed that. She loved her mother, but she knew that all things must end, and if anyone could look past sentimentality, it was Vriska Serket.

She swigged back her glass of wine, and slowly stood, announcing to her older sister that she was going to prepare to retire for the evening. Aranea agreed and joined her, finishing her own glass, and leaving the room, blue fire still blazing in the darkened room.

The next morning, they ate a moderate breakfast in the dining hall, before getting a tour of the ship from Meenah, while Aranea and Vriska tended to piloting the ship. It had an almost endless supply of rooms, a massive library, an impressive kitchen, an examining room that doubled as a laboratory of sorts, and this was entirely on the first and second floors of the ship. The bottom floor acted as a basement, with piping systems exposed, engines visible from catwalks, men running back and forth to tend to the various equipment used to move the ship. Pistons pumped faster than thought possible, and blue fire ravenously lashed out at all angles from massive ovens burning solid fuels. It was surreal. Science fiction.

In total, the journey lasted a day over a week. They made a few stops on the way at various space stations, for fuel and to see how far into outer space that word got about the S&S Trading Co. being "enemies of Alternia". The answer was, rather far. Some stations refused service, while others held digital banners with the Serkets' face displayed for the world to see, above an impressive several-digit figure; they chose to avoid these stations. Some were indifferent because they didn't care about an individual's status, as long as they could continue business as usual, and some individuals even sided with them.

They also stopped at a few planets, chosen because they had not surrendered their loyalty to Alternia and The Three, and were therefore sanctuaries. The Serkets had made a point of telling the rest that this wasn't the first time they were wanted women, and it wouldn't be the last. Nevertheless, there was still a sense of apprehension that places they turned to before, were not shut off to them, until they could "straighten the whole thing out".

The planets themselves were remarkable. Karkat had never seen anything like it. Odd atmospheres where everything glowed a bright blue, and stones pulsated as though organic, providing clearance across streams of oil; an odd, geometrical planet, with pyramids sprouting everywhere, and an atmosphere of coloured swirls in the air; a planet where the entire terrain was an expanse of blue, with odd rays of light blasting down from the skies, onto the surface. Many of these places had massive Settlement Domes, in which the atmosphere was contained and maintained to be able to sustain troll life, and was therefore inhabited by small populations of trolls within these Domes. Settlement Domes could sustain a population of up to approximately twenty thousand trolls, and were often self-governed. The inhabitants were often friendly, but protective, though it was rare that they couldn't recognize the _Spinneret_.

Inside the domes, the Serket sisters would often head directly to various pubs, but the other six knew it would be dangerous to do so, and show their faces while they were on such high demand. The Subs didn't have good pictures of the family, but they could potentially be searched by blood colour. Karkat's "mutant" blood colour was still a fairly well-kept secret, but the rest were difficult to hide, especially considering that when under pressure, Equius tended to blush and sweat rather profusely. Because of this, they often elected to remain on the ship, or put on gear and embark onto the planet's surface outside of the Dome.

However, the Serket sisters weren't merely drinking away their gold in the local Dome pubs. They were also getting information, perhaps of where Mindfang had last been sighted (since the right people often knew), or even about the status of their current bounty.

All in all, however, the trip was going rather smoothly. They all seemed to get along well enough, though Vriska and Kanaya were often shooting mixed glances to each other. Aranea would often sit with them in the sitting room, before the massive, blue fire, and tell various non-fiction tales, dipping into her clear wealth of knowledge. When asked about her intellect, Aranea said "The pursuit of understanding, for me, is the purpose for travelling the stars. Riches in knowledge are more valuable than riches in gold."

It wasn't until they were well on their way to a planet filled with spheres marked with stars, and globes with tendrils of swirling light, when a blip appeared on the radar. It was immediately identified as "unknown".

Vriska leaned into the dash and read the scanning the computer on the ship was performing, and placed her fingers on her lips with curiosity, her eyes narrowing. "Could be a Sub ship," she offered.

"Unidentifiable as a Subjugglator STV," Aranea replied, reading off the screen. "Let me see if I can get a visual on it."

A picture appeared on the windshield of the ship, an opaque image, off to one side to as to not block the entire view of the stars. It was small, almost the size of a cruise ship or TSTV. It was rather short-nosed, with long, oddly-pointed wings. It was made of a metal blacker than the _Spinneret_, which almost made it completely hidden against the colourless backdrop of space.

"What the fuck is that," Vriska breathed. She then grabbed the PA mic, and pulled it to her lips, before announcing over the system. "We got an unidentifiable ship approaching pretty fast. We're gonna prepare to warp the fuck outta here. Fasten your seat belt, ladies."

As she spoke, Aranea had been thinking the same thing, and was already entering various codes into the system to pulse the fires and produce more energy. With this energy build-up, they could compress it, producing a massive explosion that would launch them through space. Meanwhile, crew members located the six, and got them to the sitting area, where seatbelts and harnesses were included in the seats.

"Compression engaged in seven, six," the computerised voice over the PA system announced, while the fires literally pulsated with energy building up from their burning, the ship humming climactically. "…two, one. Compression complete. Prepare to warp."

"See yah, sucka," Vriska grinned, before yanking back the gearshift, fully compressing the accumulated energy, causing a massive eruption, which pinned her to her seat, her eyes wide as she laughed wildly.

The warp only lasted a few seconds, before everyone was released from their g-force-thrust positions against the backs of their seats, but they had been light-years away from their original location. They had come to a complete stop, after slowly skidding out of the warp, in order to let the fires recharge. Warping tended to use a lot of fuel, and it required a recharging period, which was why it was often not done, unless out of emergency. Vriska and Aranea both whooped and cheered, high-fiving each as Meenah quickly entered the room to congratulate her girlfriend, her spider also scuttling into the room and sitting itself in her lap.

"Shit, the fires are low," Vriska ended the celebration by glancing to the gauges. "We gotta stop for fuel."

"Where's the nearest station?" Meenah said, rubbing her girlfriend's shoulders.

"Not far," Aranea replied, punching a few things into the keyboard, maps and locations appearing on the right side of the windshield, in front of where Aranea sat. "We'll make it."

Vriska punched the coordinates in, and the ship directed herself in the appropriate direction, and would head towards it when it was fully recharged. Aranea stroked her spider softly, sighing heavily and lounging back into the chair. Meenah placed a gentle kiss on her girlfriend's brow, and Vriska scowled, standing and leaving the cockpit, with a dismissive "I'll be elsewhere". The spider left its position to follow Vriska, in hopes of a tasty treat. The last thing she saw in the cockpit, before closing the doors, was Meenah slowly climbing into Aranea's lap, straddling her, desire and passion in her eyes as she bent down to kiss her slowly.

Vriska felt sick, and she quickly attributed it to being disgusted by her sister's activities, but part of her knew it was something else. Perhaps she wouldn't go so far to say jealousy, but, perhaps, envy. Either way, her thoughts were sinning, and she shook her head, not wanting to dwell on them.

"Oh, shit," she heard a breath come from the cockpit, and she couldn't help but curl her lip slightly. However, the same two words were repeated again, far more eagerly, followed by a urgent. "Vriska, get in here, now!"

Vriska quickly spun around and slipped back into the room. "What is it?"

"We did confirm warp, right?" Aranea asked, staring out the windshield, her expression blank. Vriska looked out the windshield, and saw nothing.

"Yeah..?" she replied.

"And our ship has the fastest warp in this half of the galaxy, right?" Aranea said, her voice beginning to shake.

"What the fuck is going on?" Vriska demanded.

Without saying anything, Aranea lifted her arm and pointed out the windshield. Again, Vriska looked, and again, she saw nothing. She took a few steps forward, and something looked off in the stars. She could almost make out a figure. A figure of a small ship, about the size of a cruise ship or TSTV, black as the void of space, was sitting directly in front of them, staring them down.

"What the fuck is that," Vriska repeated, her heart dropping, her eyes wide.

Before she could say a thing, two large tubes exited out of the sides of the ship, on elbows which extended them upwards and outwards. Slowly, they began to glow a bright white, before flying forward, towards them. They could see the glowing white orbs shimmering, their forms altering, changing as they flew towards them, moments away from the windshield. All they could manage to do, was watch, and wait.

"Nothing had ever even scratched the _Spinneret_," Vriska said, almost as though she didn't trust her own voice. "Her armour was harder than anything Subs had ever been able to dish out."

"This isn't a Sub," Aranea said, just before the balls of light collided with the windshield.

At first, nothing happened. Then, it all happened at once. Massive, armoured shields snapped down in front of them, blocking the windshield, before a digital, black and green detailed image of what the windshield had previously seen, appeared on the shield. The ship before them was merely a green outline, with red words "UNIDENTIFIED" flashing beside it. The shields snapping shut had startled the three girls, and they all moved back, eyes wide, hearts racing.

"Oh my god," Vriska said. "The windshield broke. The shields only ever shut when the windshield is compromised."

Aranea entered a request into the computer for the current status of the windshield. On the screen before them, the words "SHIELD STATUS: DISINTEGR8ED" appeared in bright green lettering.

"What the fuck is this thing," Vriska said, before a notification popped up on the corner of the screen, in flashing green, reading "FIRES RECHARGED". Yanking back the gearshift, Vriska exclaimed, "We gotta get the fuck outta here."

The ship lurched forward, and began slicing through space, heading at high speed towards the nearest space station. Easily, the unidentifiable ship turned and followed after the _Spinneret_, firing more of its strange ammo towards them. Aranea shouted an instruction to Meenah, who quickly opened a latch in the ceiling by entering a code into a keypad at the dashboard, dropping down a ladder, up which she sprinted.

It lead to a small dome at the top, head of the ship, which protruded when the latch was open, like the rising sun over the horizon. Also, as the code was entered into the keypad, two massive double-barrel cannons extended from either side of the ship. Meenah sat comfortably in a deep seat, gripping two joysticks at either side of herself, her index fingers resting on one set of triggers, and her middle fingers resting on the other.

"Ready when you are!" she shouted down the hatch.

Aranea entered a code into the computer, and the weapon system quickly locked onto the unidentifiable ship, which swerved expertly as to avoid location. However, the _Spinneret_'s system was far superior than this pursuer anticipated, and it easily found him, and locked him.

"Fire!" Aranea shouted back.

With a broad grin, Meenah squeezed the first set of triggers, and the top barrel of the cannons fired, blasting massive balls of blue flame towards the culprit. The balls of flame gradually turned red as they grew nearer to the pursuer. The pursuer barrel rolled, narrowly avoiding one ball, but the other successfully clipping the wing, melting it instantly. Once past, the gelatinised oxygen was fully depleted, and the flames died. Meenah hissed slightly. A minor hit was a pointless hit, and since the ship could still fly, though it lost steering slightly, it was a failure in her books.

"Good job, baby!" Aranea called from the bottom, and Meenah's heart lifted slightly, the sting from the blow taken off even a little bit, but it was significant enough for her to focus more on her shooting rather than her mistake.

She fired another shot, squeezing the trigger with her middle fingers, and the bottom cannon released a blast of plasma shrapnel – which dissolves its surroundings then expands on contact – and also loaded the top cannon at the same time, allowing her to fire the first set again, while the second had a minor recharge period. The scattered shrapnel managed to slightly penetrate the armour, but not nearly enough to be as effective as intended. However, it caused an inconvenience as it expanded, filling in various crevices that should be open, and covering windows, causing the ship to swerve.

The second set of flame balls flying towards the ship were therefore not seen, and one managed to take off an entire wing, while the other missed due to the loss of control that immediately followed. A pod could be seen ejected from the ship, with a rocket that shot it forward through space at warp speeds.

"Where is it going?" Vriska asked.

"Probably the same place we are," Aranea replied. "The space station."

"Good," Vriska said. "I wanna find that little fucker."

"Vriska, it could be trouble," Aranea argued.

"Even better."

The Meteor Space Station LX34 was more of a gas station, in comparison to the Lunar stations, so it wouldn't be difficult to find this odd pod transporting whatever asshole decided to disintegrate the _Spinneret_'s solar-glass windshield. They docked at the only tall-dock there, and requested cobalt fuel, which, thankfully, they had. Vriska left Aranea and Meenah to deal with fueling the ship and paying the station, while Kankri, Porrim, Sollux, and Kanaya remained on the ship. Karkat and Equius went with Vriska, dressed in space-traversing gear, and took to the small surface area the meteor possessed: Equius, because he was incredibly strong and that could be valuable, and Karkat because if he was to be noticed while on the ship, his blood status could render him executed on sight, plus he refused to stay idly by.

It wasn't long before they found the pod, slightly embedded into the rock. Vriska approached it fearlessly, her hand on the hilt of her antimatter pirate's sword, able to slice through matter as though it negated it completely. At once, the door of the pod was ejected completely off of it, revealing what waited within. They didn't move for a long while, their hearts racing, but whatever was inside, didn't move either, until it did. A hand stretched up from the inside, shaking as it reached to the stars, then slamming down on the side of the ship, gripping it tightly.

Karkat was the first to react, running towards it, under the assumption that the person was in danger, and abandoning the concept that they were the enemy a few moments before. He stopped dead in his tracks, however, when he was close enough to see that there was blood on the hand.

And the blood was purple.

"Help," wheezed a voice from inside.

"Shit," Karkat hissed through his teeth, before running to the pod.

Feferi wandered into the pub, and looked around herself, curiously. Several old trolls who had long since let themselves go, eyed her with an appetite she shuddered to think about. She had a job, and she would get it done. She slowly wandered to the bar, and sat at the stool, looking around herself. It wasn't long before a large troll with a stomach that looked like it could fit her inside it, blundered over to her, and offered to purchase her a drink. She smiled and nodded, before turning to face him, inwardly repulsed. This place smelt of rotting sewage and stale beer. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Screw the sweet talk and foreplay, this was far from fun anymore.

"Actually," she said, twirling her finger in her hair. "Let's just get outta here."

The man was quick to respond, as she led him out of the pub, and towards a back alley. The moment they were alone in the darkness, she turned to face him, and was greeted by an open-palm, full on against her face. She staggered backwards and turned her head to face him, her eyes wide. He curled a lip, looking at the side of her face he had smacked her, as blood rose to her skin.

"A tyrian-blood," he said. "I'd say fancy seeing your kind out here, but you're not the first I've seen."

Feferi swung an arm out, and struck the man, her highblood strength easily slamming him against the alley wall. She then lunged at him, and pinned him against the wall, staring into his eyes with seething rage, and even inquisitiveness.

"You were saying?"

The man managed to strangle out a few words. "Last week. With two cobalt-bloods. Looking for Mindfang."

"Mindfang…?" Feferi's eyes narrowed. She looked back to him. "Did they get an answer?"

The man nodded. Feferi grinned.


End file.
